Honoursmodule: Big History

Course manual 2023/2024

Course content

How has everything around us become the way it is today? How have the histories of the cosmos, life, Earth and human societies influenced each other? How have they jointly shaped  the world we live in now? And can you use that knowledge to develop a better understanding of aspects of the world around you that you think are particularly important, now and for the future? This course addresses all of these questions. 

Study materials

Literature

• F. Spier (2015). Big History and the Future of Humanity. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
  IMPORTANT NOTE: Since you will have to use this book in Perusall, you will need to buy it via that application.

Other

• Various videos and optional podcasts.

Objectives

• Provide an evidence-based overview of the history of the cosmos, Earth, life and human societies;
• Describe some of the major driving forces behind that history;
• Examine how the histories of the cosmos, Earth, life and human societies are intertwined and have influenced each other;
• Examine how these histories have jointly affected important aspects of our current world;
• And while doing so, use big history as a platform for creative, out-of-the-box, interdisciplinary thinking about important aspects of our current and future world.

Teaching methods

• Seminar
• Self-study
• Working independently on e.g. a project or thesis
• Presentation/symposium

Before the seminars, you will  review and annotate introductory knowledge clips and reading, which will help you explore the various astrophysical, geological, biological and cultural processes that shaped our world.

During seminars you will reflect on the often unexplored connections between them.

And in a 'little big history' project, that consists of  various assignments and a presentation, you will apply what you've learned throughout the course to an aspect of our current world that you think is particularly interesting, and while doing so, think about this aspect in a creative and interdisciplinary way.

Learning activities

Attendance

Additional requirements for this course:

Because interaction during the seminars will be necessary to achieve (and assess) learning goals 3 and 4, in-person attendance during the seminars is mandatory. 

You are allowed to miss 1 out of the 11 seminars. If you have a valid reason for missing a seminar, this will not count towards the seminar you are allowed to miss, as long as you inform Esther before missing the seminar.

Assessment

• When you do not attend a seminar you will receive a 1 as your participation grade for that seminar.
• When calculating your average seminar participation grade, your 2 lowest grades will be dropped.

Inspection of assessed work

Contact the course coordinator to make an appointment for inspection.

Assignments

This course consists of various types of assignments and assessments.

Perusall assignments require you to review and annotate introductory knowledge clips and reading and:

• Are individual assignents;
• Are autograded weekly as pass/fail;
• Are obligatory but do not count towards your final grade;
• And align with learning goals 1, 2 and 3.

Little big history brainstorm assignments require you to brainstorm about possible connections between big history and an aspect of the world of your own choice. They:

• Are individual assignments;
• Are graded weekly as pass/fail;
• Are obligatory but do not count towards your final grade;
• And align with learning goal 4.

Little big history outline assignments require you to develop the best connections you developed in your brainstorm assignments into interesting research questions and well supported arguments that form the basis for your little big history project. They:

• Are individual assignments;
• Are graded on a scale from 1-10;
• Count towards 40% of your final grade;
• And align with learning goal 4.

Your little big history project requires you to develop the research questions and arguments you developed in your outline assignments into a coherent project. It:

• Is an individual assignment;
• Is graded on a scale from 1-10;
• Counts towards 40% of your final grade;
• And aligns with learning goal 5.

During your little big history presentation you are required to present what you have learned while working on your little big history project in the form of a 3 minute talk. It:

• Is an individual assignment;
• Is peer-graded on a scale from 1-10;
• Counts towards 20% of your final grade;
• And aligns with learning goal 5.

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Contact information

Coordinator

• Esther Quaedackers